Ball joint



Oct. 26 1926.

' L. D. WODRUFF BALL JOINT Original Filed DGG 8. 1922 @IHIIIIIIII-V mlIIlll Patented Oct. 26, 1926.

UNITED STATES LEONIDAS D. W'OODRUFF, OF CH'GAGO, LLINDIS, ASSIGMB T@ A DELQ'E RUFF, 0F CHIGAGQ, ILLINQIS.

BALL JOINT.

Original application @led December 8, 1922, Serial No. 605.672.

This invention relates to ball joints, parilarly 'those `or use in the steam line of c, The object ot 'the present in- V,.,tioi'1 is to provide an eticient ball joint einbmiyingV a one-piece tubular gasket which Y wear down without binding and may leali water vbeu cold. @ther objects oft tbc pre it invention concern the various elements ot tbe joint per se. particularly tlie antivibration ring Wl'iicb prevents tbe liet troni pounding upper outer er against the casing; Wall, and the lower metal bearingring Wliicl serves a loose collar tor the ball when the ball turns about its ongritudinal axis.

Up to tbe present time extensive tests by the inventor of the present device as' Well as by .many other engineers have failed to develop a practical one-piece cylindrical gasket adapted to ride on top of a inovable ball in a steam line ball joint. Tlie general reason tor the sliortnessfot lite of suoli a gasket bas4 been that when tlie ball. moves upwardly' and to one side, the gasket.. instead ot sliding: loosely on the ball, tends to follow the ball duc to tbe cohesive friction ot the gasket against the outer spherical Surface otv the ball. and consequently the gasket itself partabcs of tlie movement o'f the ball` with a consequent crushing` of the top outer edge of the gasket in the line of the thrust against the cylindrical: inner Wall ot' the main body or top casing section of tbe joint.

The rapid wear of the relatively soft gasket is greatly increased by the presence in the joint ot tiny bits ot grit, cinders, and sund so that as tbc gasket scours the cylindrical Wall oit the top member oit'tlie sliell or casing' tbe bits of grit, etc.. acting` like einery or sand paper weer away tbe outer top edge so that the vibrating movement of the gasket soon leaks` steam in small volume and tlien tbe grit and cinders follow the line of leakage with the pressure of steam behind tlieiin and soon out a passageway in the outer cylindrical surface ot the gasket, destroying i usefulness.

la tbe` present invention a spring holds tlierelatively long gasket in place and there is provided between tbe spring and gasket an annular metal plate loosely engaging they Wall of the casingandlentending somewhat short of the in ner surface of the gasket, thereby preventing, aeeess.- of; Qmders, sand,

Divided and this application filed Marea Serial No. 97,605.

and grit to tbe upper sur-tace ot the gasket.

l.a the dra "-H H The tigers sbou's a central section through a -iireierred embodiment ot' tbe iiivent-ion.

Tb@ body l0 forme tlie top nicniber of the ng land is ot quite standard formation g a plurality o' ,i ll perforated as la to receive a co die 'top section l0 against r u Witli the l5 tl mowing a pl ity et outge the Cotter pins. ed in tbe bot-torn oit member oi? the supports the Weig it oi: the ball nieinber lf@ and the associated piping usual in train service. 'lie ring 17 diters troni ordinary practice in that it is found advisable to alloiv tbe bearing ring' l? to act as a swivel by finishing the Surface et the cap to sucli an extent that the bearing ring will have greats 'friction aggeinst the ball when the latter rotated al'iout its longitudinal axis than it has against tbe horizontal and vertical walls of the sleeve or lower member et tlie c 'ng'.

The gasket "2O is preferably 'l'ori ed oi' a rubber compound which is quite hard ivlien cold and has tbe property ot' eipandinzo,` equally in all directions to a it'airly considerable extent when heated to the usual temperature present in steam lines. The contraction and expansion of the gasket is suite desirable not only that tbe gasket may niore readily feed down against tbe ball to conipensa-te tor Wear but for tlie more important purpose of permitting escape oit trapped condo sod water. Since tbe bose is usually at tlieflouest point on tbe train line it is quite important to drain tbe Water when the steam is off in order tbat this trapped .vater may not freeze with a possilile interference to the operation of 'the train line,

As ebovfn in tbe figurej the gasket bas a cyli outerl surface 2l to ei loosely' the Wall ofthe body l0 conce 'trie wall and fiat top and bottoni walls. the top Wall being reduced by the provision of a conical surface F13 and the bottoni surface being' reducedby a tapered and preferably spherical surface let adapted to engage snugly the ballL when: the steani pressure is applied and the gasket consequently expanded and seine wliattleaible. Above tbe slret ieniounted a helical spring harina' `for its.- particular autres@ the duty, :Ot maintaining the anti;-

tbe cap 15 or lei vibration ring or plate 30 in Contact with the gasket that the plate 30 may prevent the d llret following the movement ot the ball with consequent damage to the upper outer edge ot the gasket.

'the anti-vibrat'mi plate 23() is an annular member' having a plane central annular seat 13 i'for reception ot' the spring, a cylindrical tlange 232 which fits snugly against the linished wall ot the top member ot the casing and also has an inwardly and downwardly tapered conical portion 33 which engages the tapered portion 223 ot the gasket and consequently tends to urge the upper outer edge of the gaslf' into contact with the cylindrt cal wall oi the body l0.

It will be noted Yfrom the figure that the diameter of the bore ot the cap is materially greater' than the diameter of the bore of the body and also that the lower edge ot the body entends to a point short oit the hei izontal central plane or the ball, that is7 a plane passing through the center of the sphere at right angles to the anis o'j the ball member. The advantage ol this construction is that as the gasket 2() wears down the lower edge may extend into the cavity provided by the larger bore ot the cap l5 and hence a binding ol' the ball and gasket is entirely obviated.

lt has been 'found advisable to form a shoulder in the upper member et the casing to form a stop for the anti-friction ring 30 under direct upward thrust. rlhis shonlder is formed by stopping the boring ot the wall of the casting at a point short of the horizontal portion ot the body.

Since the rubber gasket 2O does not take any ot the weight of the ball and since the anti-friction ring 30 prevents the pounding ot the upper outer edge and also prevents access oit dirt and grit ot all kinds to such outer edge, the only portion ot the gasket to wear is the spherical surface 24 which is worn by the constant friction ot' the ball against it, but as the gasket wears it is ted down against the ball by the spring 27 so that the lite of the gasket is extremely long, being many times greater than any other gasket known to the inventor.

At sncli time as it is necessary to renew the gasket the process ot doing so is eX- tremely simple and it is not at all necessary to unscrew the ball from its piping as by removal of the Cotter pin and the unscrewing or the two sections 10 and l5 of the casing, the new gasket 2() may readily be slipped into place and the casings again closed. No particular adjustment is necessary in applying the new gasketras the two sections ol the casing may be screwed together tightly without binding the ball or gasket in any way, the spring 27 coinpensat ing for any difference in position between the old and the new gasket. Since the joint reofreee usually, although not necessarily, hangs vertically the steam pressure when on keeps the gasket firmly seated on the ball and also holds the ball iirmly against the bearing ring 17.

The action oi' the joint is relatively simple. Should the ball be forced upwardly to the right as viewed in the figure and simultanei onsly given a clockwise rotation, the gasket would tend to `follow the rotation ot the ball and would transmit such motion to the antivibration ring heid in Contact with the gasket by the spring 27. Since this ring 30 lits snugly against the wall of the cylindrical bore of the top casing member l0, the move-- ment of the anti-vibration ring is promptly arrested and this resistance conveyed to the gasket on the opposite side, i. e., the lett ot the figure, by a surface substantially normal. to the direction of the force acting, since the. apex of the cone of which the portion 33 is a zone or trustrum surface is in line with and near the center of the sphere ot the ball member 18. rEhe arresting ot the motion ot the gasket in this way causes it to resist the friction against the ball and to remain quiet but in contact with the ball. The spring 27 is comparatively light as it does not stabiliz-e the gasket by direct pressure but merely keeps the antivibration ring in contact with the gasket, the ring, as stated being the real stabilizing agent. l

This application is a division of appliants application Serial No. 605,672, filed December 8, 1922.

lVhat I claim is:

l. A ball joint ot the two-casingl type, characterized by the provision ot a removable bearing ring in one casing and entirely below the center line of the ball and a steam tight gasket in the other casing and entirely above the center line ot the ball, and means lor teeding the gasket against the ball as the gasket wears and tor urging the gasket against the ball joint casing7 there being a space in the tiret mentioned casing into which the worn portion ot the gasket may be ted, said space in the first mentioned casing being of increased cross section to prevent binding of the gasket around the ball.

2. In a ball joint, the combination ol a pair ot casings, a balk a bearing ring tor said ball in one of said casings, said ring being entirely below the center line .of the ball. a gasket normally in the other casing and above the center line ot the ball, and means for feeding said gasket against the ball as the gasket wears, the casing containing the bearing ring having an inner diameter greater than the inner diameter of the other casing to provide a chamber into which the worn portion of the gasket may be ted by said gasket 'feeding means.

LGNDAS D. WOGDRUFF. 

